Dudley frowned, realising that Professor McGonagall had been on the train previously specifically to protect them.
"Can the prefects contact the school professors?" Dudley asked.
"Percy has already contacted the school," Fred informed him.
Dudley nodded, displaying a thoughtful expression.
He didn't believe Ron and Harry would fail to board the train without good reason. They must have encountered something that prevented them from boarding or even from notifying him immediately.
"However, they don't seem to have encountered anything particularly dangerous either," Dudley thought to himself.
He had previously given Harry a hollow glass orb, creating a mystical connection between himself and the magical artefact.
If Harry encountered genuine danger, he could shatter this glass orb, and Dudley would be able to sense the disturbance through their mystical link.
Dudley had specifically concentrated just moments ago and hadn't detected the orb breaking. Moreover, judging by the spiritual distance, the glass orb and Harry should still be together.
This meant that Harry was most likely not in immediate danger.
"Well, well, that freckle-faced git and show-off Potter didn't board the train? Don't tell me they thought taking the train to school wouldn't showcase their specialness and wanted to pull some other publicity stunt," a disgusting drawl suddenly interrupted Dudley's thoughts.
Malfoy and a group of Slytherin students had arrived to watch the unfolding drama.
"If you ask me, the school should expel these two troublesome individuals," Malfoy declared from among his followers, speaking with his characteristic slow arrogance.
"Malfoy, I'm in a very bad mood right now," Dudley said, looking at the mocking Slytherin with dangerous calm.
Hearing Dudley's voice, Malfoy's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his confidence because beside him were not only Goyle and Crabbe but also several senior Slytherin students for protection.
"What's the matter, Dudley? Want to get expelled as well and accompany your show-off brother?" Malfoy said in his long, mocking drawl.
"Perhaps I could throw you off the train and let you get some fresh air outside," Dudley replied, looking at Malfoy with deadly seriousness.
"You... you wouldn't dare!" Malfoy's expression changed as he shouted with false bravado, immediately retreating and hiding behind his group of Slytherin bodyguards.
Even knowing such a possibility was extremely unlikely, Malfoy didn't dare be careless in the slightest.
He genuinely felt Dudley might actually follow through on such a threat.
Dudley looked at Malfoy coldly. Just as he wanted to further intimidate the coward, his expression suddenly shifted with realisation.
In some mysterious way, he sensed that Harry didn't seem far from his current position.
If he could previously determine with certainty that Harry wasn't on the train, now he could no longer make that judgement confidently.
"The glass orb is also getting closer," Dudley observed.
After discovering this change, Dudley had no time to deal with Malfoy and immediately ran toward the rear of the train.
He felt Harry's spiritual presence seemed to be behind the moving train.
However, after reaching the rear compartments of the train, Dudley still didn't see Harry and Ron anywhere.
"Dudley, what did you discover?" Fred asked with obvious concern.
Dudley shook his head, simply closed his eyes, blocked out all external interference, and began carefully sensing that faint mystical connection.
Soon, he opened his eyes and looked directly at the train's ceiling.
"In the sky!" Dudley's expression shifted as he immediately entered a nearby train compartment, pressed against the window, and looked outside.
But outside was nothing but clear blue sky with no visible objects.
"Could it be... that flying car?" Dudley suddenly realised the truth.
Only that enchanted vehicle could, under such circumstances, make Harry and Ron appear above his head, and only that car's invisibility charm could make all this happen without leaving traces.
"What are these two idiots doing?" Dudley's expression darkened with frustration.
Could it really be for showing off their magical abilities?
But Dudley quickly dismissed this speculation. No matter how reckless these two were, they understood what serious consequences this would cause, and they weren't that type of attention-seeking people.
"Dudley, what are you looking at?" Fred and George also pressed against the window, looking outside with confusion.
Unfortunately, they found absolutely nothing.
"It seems like something is flying in the sky," Luna's dreamy voice suddenly observed, making Dudley and the others notice this unique little girl.
Luna was now wearing very peculiar-looking glasses, resembling cartoon character sunglasses, also gazing out the window.
"What?" Fred and George were completely puzzled.
"It couldn't be one of those Muggle moving contraptions... what do they call them..." Luna showed a thoughtful expression.
"Could I borrow your glasses?" Dudley looked at Luna with genuine amazement.
"Of course," Luna didn't hesitate, removed her glasses, and handed them to Dudley.
"You need to concentrate, and then you can see things you usually can't see," Luna explained in her characteristically eccentric manner.
Dudley felt like he was wearing funhouse mirror spectacles. Everything around him became distorted, especially the view outside the train window.
But through these magical glasses, Dudley soon spotted what appeared to be a rather distorted area in the sky, where something was moving rapidly, matching the exact outline of an automobile.
"It really is them!" Dudley's eyes sharpened with confirmation.
"What are you talking about?" Fred and George asked again with growing frustration.
They felt completely foolish. Clearly in the same position, yet Dudley and that peculiar little girl could see things they couldn't.
"Nothing important. Ron and Harry should be perfectly fine. Everyone can disperse now," Dudley said, removing the glasses and returning them to Luna.
At the same time, he waved for the curious onlooking classmates to leave.
"Thank you very much," Dudley said to Luna.
"You're quite welcome," Luna smiled, genuinely happy to have helped Dudley.
Just then, Hermione squeezed through from outside the crowded compartment.
"Dudley, we've contacted the school professors. They went to King's Cross Station to investigate. I believe they'll locate Harry and Ron soon," Hermione said at breakneck speed.
"It's no longer necessary. Dudley has already found them," Luna blinked her silver eyes and said matter-of-factly to Hermione.
"What? Where are they?" In the compartment, not only Hermione but also Fred and George showed completely puzzled expressions.
Dudley's mouth twitched slightly as he pointed toward the sky outside.
"If I'm not mistaken, Harry and Ron are driving Mr. Weasley's flying car, following behind our train."
For a moment, the entire compartment fell into stunned silence.
"Oh, so that contraption is called a car. I've been calling them flying houses. Muggle inventions are really fascinating," Luna said to herself with dreamy fascination.